Thoughts on the new year, so far…

Now at the end of January after a week of 90 plus degree heat and then another week of continual rain, the days are cooler. Still in the evening the humidity returns and air conditioning is a must to get to sleep.

In my personal life what a crazy couple of weeks it has been!!!
A dear friend from Turkey who I have not seen for 4 years is visiting me, so am having a fabulous time.

We have been dancing, eating, drinking, walking and shopping for days. Am loving some chica time. It’s been 2 years since I have had a friend visit me.

Introducing her to the world of tango and the Milongas clubs in Buenos Aires is exciting and very different for her as she started dancing tango about 3 months ago.

And one of my fondest memories is of another friend introducing me to the world of Tango in Buenos Aires. How awesome and overwhelming it was. Can’t believe that was 5 years ago!

We have danced in the afternoon and evening milongas and for a couple nights did back to back late night milongas. Dancing in San Telmo, Monserrat, Boeda and Balavanera.

Have introduced her to the world of asado (barbecue), with the meats ranging from sweet breads, tripe, cabezon, chicken and lots of different types of carne (beef) served en mass on a little hot barbecue stand.

As I like my food to the spicier side, have discovered a few restaurants that satisfy that need and do take my friends to these restaurants, one in particular is always fabulous. Sintesis…it is a fusion of Thai and Vietnamese served as Tapas. Yum yum.

More dancing, more drinking wine, more walking, more public transportation.

More, more more. But always mask wearing while dancing and on the buses or in taxis, walking the streets and continually cleaning hands with alchohol.

My friend visiting from Turkey ended up catching omnicron 10 days after arriving in Argentina. The day before her scheduled return flight to Istanbul on Saturday, she tested positive.

Immediately we canceled all a dinner that night and dancing.

In making arrangements for my test. the following day, I called other friends to inform them of her positive results. It was interesting to listen to the different reactions which ranged from choosing to test to others not.

My friend was in bed with three days feeling like she had been hit by a truck. With a small fever initially, a headache but lots of mucus and coughing.
Three days of almost continual sleeping and very little food.

Then on the 4th day still tired but she started to feel almost human. No temperature. Still bit of a hack.

And on day 7, doing a home corvid testing kit, she was negative. Wahoo.

The airline she was returning to Turkey on rebooked her on the same saturday flight two weeks later.

So she gets a do-over on a lost week and a bonus week for getting corvid.

As with all things, especially now in these uncertain and unsettling times, it is neccesary to see the silver lining in all.

So now we get to do more….
Dancing, eating, drinking, walking this amazing city that I call home.